Supporting insulators are useful when passing bus bars through a conductive enclosure of an electrical device or equipment, such as, but not limited to, a switch, filter or the like. Many of the supporting insulators that are currently available support multiple bus bars and offer limited geometry. Other non-conductive bus bar insulators, such as for example used by the Schaffner in their FN 2200 DC EMC/EMI Line Filter, use conductive fasteners to secure the insulators to the enclosure. The conductive fasteners that secure known non-conducive bus bar insulators to conductive enclosures encroach either on the spacing required between conductors of opposite polarity or on the hardware and size limits of the mounting panel. Consequently, the insulator flanges that accept the fasteners interfere with close placement of several adjacent insulators and/or the optimal location of the insulator and the bus bar it supports in the panel. In addition, known insulators provide no mechanical restraint to prevent axial movement of the supported bus bar, and require additional means to secure the bus bar.
Consequently, there is a need in the industry for an improved supporting insulator which minimizes the distance necessary between and beyond adjacent insulators while assuring that the required spacing between conductors of opposite polarity, which includes adjacent bus bars, insulator fasteners and a conductive panel, is provided. There is also a need for an insulator which includes features to restrict axial motion of the bus bar.